Scarlet and Ebony

The October weather had at last taken a turn towards winter, the Whomping Willow had shed all its leaves and scarves had become a necessity, not just for the tree. Severus Snape trudged across the castle grounds which were littered with rotting leaves, his face the epitome of discontent as his Slytherin scarf was whipped behind him by the harsh draught. He passed by Hagrid who was occupied arranging a collection of freshly carved, ornate pumpkins of all shapes and sizes around the grounds.

"Someone gonna have to do something about all these leaves I feels, professor!" Hagrid remarked cheerily, but Snape continued to walk by him without a word. Unaffected by this sleight, Hagrid continued with his work merrily, casting glances around for his magical rake. As Snape entered the castle, he was surprised at how quiet everywhere was, what was normally filled with the bustling of idiotic students, now only held the faint murmur of one or two here and there. Not that this was a problem to him as he enjoyed solitude and the less students featured in his working day, the better. Odd for a man who had taken up the teaching profession, a thought which regularly crossed Snape's own mind.

Snape viewed Dumbledore's approach in his peripheral vision, however trying to avoid the Headmaster; Snape began to walk faster in feigned ignorance of his presence.

"Severus!" Dumbledore called, his voice echoing around the high corridors. "Severus!"

On the second call of his name, Snape knew he would have to answer him. Stopping reluctantly, he turned on his heel with a sigh to face the esteemed Headmaster.

"Yes, Albus?"

"It's all very quiet here isn't it? you should have seen this corridor an hour past. Halloween excitement Severus! Off they went to Hogsmeade to get themselves costumes. It leaves Hogwarts with quite a solitary feel, don't you think?"

"Pleasantly so."

Dumbledore seemed to not hear this last remark as he continued to bumble on cheerily, whilst shuffling his feet back and forwards almost excitedly.

"Are you coming to the Halloween Ball tomorrow Severus?"

"Yes." Snape said with slow, reluctant sullenness, like a child who was adhering to a will not their own.

"Good, good! It will be a lively affair, don't you think?"

"Yes." Snape repeated, his tone unchanged.

Dumbledore seemed to be awaiting further remarks from Severus, but the Potions Master could not think of any enthusiastic sentiment to express, instead he asked a question which he regretted the immediately.

"Have you a costume, Albus?"

"Yes, I have!" Dumbledore replied. "I am going as a wizard."

"A wizard?" Snape asked almost incredulously.

"Yes!"

"But… forgive me; you are a wizard, Albus."

"Oh come, come Severus!" Dumbledore chuckled, slapping Snape's back a little more enthusiastically than the Potion's Master appreciated. "I was thinking of a more Arthurian legend sort of a wizard."

"Do you mean… Merlin, sir?"

"Exactly." Dumbledore continued, his voice having a thoughtful tinge to it. "I've been knitting it myself in my spare hours. That magazine subscription is proving its worth with every new edition."

"I am sure you will look very… regal, Albus."

Another silence fell between them as Snape's ability to match Dumbledore's eagerness for the impending event evaporated. However, he knew his moments were limited having made the mistake of enquiring about Dumbledore's outfit choice.

"And you?"

"And me?" Snape feigned ignorance again, his insides twisting a little with embarrassment at the prospect.

"What costume will you be wearing? I remember distinctly Professor Flitwick making a charming homemade Hobbit ensemble last year. You were travelling then so you wouldn't have seen it, in fact I believe this is the first year you've been able to attend the Halloween ball, Severus."

"Well, you were rather insistent this year, sir." Snape's insides now shrivelled to nothing.

"The Halloween ball is an incredibly important event for student's morale! It banishes the darkness we knew for so long and celebrates in its own way the losses and successes we have endured in those times. What better way to banish them Severus than with revelry, costumes and candlelight?"

"Personal reflection and attention to prospective future mistakes?" Snape suggested honestly, his understanding of how people dressed in ridiculous garbs helped banish the past being barely existent, let alone appreciated. The thought of indulging in it was more than he could bear.

"I seem to remember Minerva making a particularly fetching rabbit in a previous time too, that woman has quite the playful face for bunny features."

"Yes…" Snape said, slightly disturbed.

"Anyway, so what are you wearing?"

"I… I… I haven't decided quite yet."

"Come, come Severus! Costumes are flying out of the shops; you don't want to be left wearing a witch's hat and a bin bag! That's the one outfit that would render you invisible."

"If only."

"I know how you like to jest, Severus. I shall leave you to your errands; I am going to begin work on curling my beard. This may take some time."

Without another word, Dumbledore skipped away in merriment for the forthcoming revelry, complimenting a suit of armour on its excellent choice of Halloween bowtie and other accessories. Snape felt physically sick at the prospect of Halloween merriment and the smell of steak and kidney pudding wafting from the Great Hall didn't help. He was fond of Dumbledore, they were old friends, but even an old friend could not prevail upon him to dress in a manner that should have ended at childhood.

It took Snape another hour before he was even close to the door of his own chambers, students had begun returning, armed with bags of kitsch rubbish. Some of this he felt the need to confiscate and eviscerate as his disdain increased. It seemed every person on the Hogwart's payroll whom he encountered felt the need to unburden themselves about their Halloween excitement and enquire about the depths of his own. Had they never understood that on this subject, this well ran dry!

As his door was in sight, Snape felt a huge surge of relief, the prospect of quiet felt marvellous to him. He would sit by his fire and read one of his books until his inner equilibrium rebalanced itself. His hand touched the doorknob when a voice behind him said lightly.

"Good day Professor."

He knew that voice well enough and feeling the need to answer it, he turned.

"Good day Miss Granger."

Hermione stood there arms clasped around another tome, no Halloween garbage in sight; at least there was one other sane seeming person under this extensive roof.

"I am surprised to see you this late in the week, Severus." She said with a slight smile, "I thought you would be travelling."

"Not this year."

When normally a period of awkward silence would fall here, that was the standard response to his brevity, Hermione took a step nearer.

"It's nice to see you; your absence has been noticed in recent years."

"Hence Dumbledore's insistence at my presence this year."

"I wasn't meaning by the Headmaster, but yes…" Hermione blushed slightly. "I imagine you want to enjoy some quiet. It is a little raucous round here at the moment. Have a pleasant evening."

Hugging her book a little tighter to herself, she added a small nod before walking off at a brisk pace. This left Snape both with a sense of confusion and appreciation, someone it seemed actually understood his own sentiments, though he doubted they were shared.

After having spent a night that was flouted by nightmares of Minerva McGonagall in Bunny ears, Snape awoke to Halloween day feeling the inevitable dread that came with his intense dislike of the festival. Snape groaned and shoved his face further into his pillow, he knew that in mere hours he would be forced to join not only the entire teaching staff, but also the student body, in a ball with screamed of pointless frivolity. Snape it seemed was more disdainful that usual as he ordered the house elves to clean his best frock coat and send him up a dish of porridge for his breakfast, something wholesome was required in order to line his stomach for the various sweets and treats that resembled different body parts, he would be forced to ingest later that day.

Severus debated how long it was humanly and realistically possible to stay hidden in his quarters…the rest of his life seemed perfectly reasonable to him, but he knew this would not fly with another certain, now curly bearded member, of the Hogwarts Staff. This thought was interrupted briefly by a flash of green in his fireplace and echoing voice singing 'Happy Halloween' through the embers, Severus rolled his eyes…again and pretended he had not just heard Albus 'pretending' to not be Albus wishing him enjoyment of the day. He swore if any of his Slytherin's dared or even had the capacity to think to dare to knock on his door and utter 'trick or treat' he would not be responsible for his actions…should he have to account for them…and he would not.

Severus stared into his porridge dish and tried with his upmost to imagine the most horrific scenario that the evening could bring. Potter and Weasley would no doubt be in attendance, being that they were now upstanding members of not only the Wizarding community but the ministry respectively. There would be costumes…reams and reams of inane, tacky and sometimes plain ridiculous costumes, a feast of sweets and Halloween related food, most of it inedible and the Weird Sisters. Snape began to seriously consider suicide at that point in his thoughts; would it be as bad as having to attend a ball with not only screaming students but a screaming band as well?

Though he would not indulge in the ridiculousness of the festivities, he would still make sure he was dressed at his best. It was expected of a revered teach such as himself and he would not be outdone on that score. As he slowly prepared his mind and body for the nightmare evening ahead, he could hear footsteps and excited yabberings passing his door at various points of the day and he dreaded the thought of bunting hanging around the corridor of his chamber when he emerged. He completed all his tasks at the slowest rate of speed possible in the vain attempt to slow down time and yet still the swine passed on, minute by minute. By five o'clock he was dressed and sat in his chair, book in hand with a glass of port, looking at the tome and yet not reading a word.

The clock struck seven and he could put them off no longer, casting the book roughly onto the side table he moved towards the door, a heavy sigh leaving his chest as he turned the doorknob. Upon entering the corridor he was perplexed, there was no one and all seemed eerily quiet at first. He took a moment to listen, closing his eyes and then he registered it, the faint hubbub above coming from the Great Hall. He likened it to the distance sound of drums calling one to war, or in his case, hell! Setting off at a determined stride he vowed he would put in an appearance for an hour and no longer…. Half an hour if he could get away with it. A fifteen minute interval was daring to dream.

The closer he got to the Great Hall the louder the raucous noise of a collected ball of inane student energy became. Decorative cobwebs, floating pumpkins and all of the ghosts of Hogwarts were on hand at the Great Hall doors, handing out treats such as 'witches fingers' (hotdogs with tomato sauce) and crudely shaped ghosts on sticks made out of bananas and marshmallows. Snape rebuffed any offer of these sickly, sentimental objects. He even went as far as making an almost rude gesture towards Nearly Headless Nick who tried to hand him a hollowed orange in shape of a pumpkin.

"Why Professor Snape, I am appalled sir! Appalled! If my head wasn't already separate from my person I would have lost it!"

"Go away!" Snape growled slowly, low in his throat and like an exorcism the ghosts parted the ways and let him through, instead accosting the straggle of students forming behind him. Severus hated oranges; it reminded him of childhood inflictions of them being stuffed with cloves and him having to eat them. The full impact of the Weird Sisters rambling songs hit him as though someone had levelled a brick at his head. It hammered at his temples and taunted his eardrums offensively. The Great Hall was worse than he imagined and he was not prepared for the sight of staff and students respectively dressed in varying forms of disturbing attire.

Snape took the opportunity of finding a quietish corner where a shadow from a floating lit pumpkin hid him from view in his dark garb. From here he took the time to observe and absorb the horror. Making an imposing pathway through the dance floor he witnessed Madame Maxime and Hagrid who still very much adoring of one another had dressed in kind, as Gomez and Morticia Addams. Their costumes at least carried a little style though Snape imagined it was more her idea, for he doubted Hagrid would concoct the costumes. The pair began a rather exuberant waltz which resulted in sending one or two students whose limbs happened to stray into the dance floor territory flying.

"Sorry Orpheus… oops sorry Francelle!"Hagrid bellowed apologetically and cried all the louder when Maxime's jutting elbow knocked a mug of pumpkin juice clean from the hand of rather sensitive student Seraphina Peersnipe. "Oh my I am so sorry!"

Goblins, Hobbits, Vampires, Pumpkins and even a candelabra costume passed by in hoards of sugar fuelled excitement. Unfortunately for Snape the floating pumpkin moved directly above him, illuminating him and exposing him to the view of Professor Slughorn. This was without a doubt the worst costume far, and whilst Hagrid and Maxime were proving jeopardy friendly on the dance floor, Slughorn was knocking student's here there and everywhere with his costume. Bearing a length set of eight legs and an askew fuzzy wig and a black waistcoat and shirt, Slughorn lumbered forward meaning, Snape thought to be a giant spider.

"Festive greetings on this night of bountiful frivolity, Severus."

The term 'kill me' was muttered by Snape under his breath, completely missed by the rather large looking Slughorn.

"In honour of Hagrid's dear departed friend, I have come tonight as Aragog. I was there and spoke a few words at his passing so I thought I would remember him in my own small way tonight."

The word small was ironic beyond belief; Slughorn's costume must have rendered him almost triple his width. The icing on the cake of such an ensemble was the thick, black headband which had a smaller spider fixed to it. Slughorn held breath for Snape's eager response however the latter could not offer any satisfactory response. This instead left a void that rendered Snape vulnerable as Slughorn remarked.

"But my, what is your costume Severus, you look very smart… you rather put me in mind of Regulas…"

"I haven't come in any costume." Snape remarked quickly, he would not be compared to a Black under any circumstances.

"Ohhhhhhhh." Slughorn replied with sadness and confusion, "That's a shame, all sold out were they… that's often the way, we have very enthusiastic students after all… yes indeed I had to make this that you see on my head… in fact I made the whole thing myself."

As Slughorn babbled all of this, Snape only wondered how so many Hogwart's staff had all this spare time to make these crude costumes. But Slughorn only rambled on.

"I see so many very striking costumes…. This may be the best turn out we've had for them…. There's more joy in it now I suppose… not living under the shadow of…. Well I ramble… I know… but here… as you have no costume of your own, please take this…."

Slughorn prised the makeshift headband from his head and moved towards Snape. Back against the wall, there was nowhere for Snape to go and he felt the object roughly plant with graceless fervour on his head. Knowing this conversation would only get worse, Snape gave Slughorn a nod, not quite sure what it signified and moved to find another solitary corner. This was of ill judgement however as he practically collided with a group of former students whose faces he knew as well as his own.

Yes, there he stood, bold as brass as ever. Harry Potter wearing a large, purple oversized top hat and jazzy waistcoat, a pocket watch dangling from it. This was coupled with a backcombed neon orange wig and some form of makeup which Snape tried to look no closer at than was necessary. Clutching Harry's arm was Ginny who was obviously being the Alice to his Hatter. Turning his head a little to the right only added to the confusion, as there in large rabbit ears, a fluffy, brown all in one and drawn on white teeth was Ron Weasley.

"Good evening Professor Snape." Ginny said happily, Harry followed with a similar greeting full of forced politeness.

"Potter, Potter…. Weasley and….?"

Snape's eyes were diverted by the forth much brasher member of the quartet, a young woman whom he did not recognise.

"And you are?"

"Marilyn Monroe." The nasal, high voice replied with a giggle that was offensive to the ears.

"That… is obvious…"

Ron gave an enamoured look to the girl pawing at his arm before turning back to his former Professor and replied.

"This is my fiancé Veronica.

"I see."

Snape was about to move away, but a proud Ron continued his yarn.

"We met at the Ministry; she works on one of the front desks."

"I give out directions and sometimes leaflets." Veronica chimed in. "That's a smashing headband you have got going on Mr Stape… are you meant to be a shadow?"

"Yes… yes. Congratulations on finding your better half Weasley." Snape said through gritted teeth. "I must be going… I expect you'll be wanting to take Marilyn to meet her kind in Wonderland."

"Bye Mr Stape!"

Snape saw Harry even cringe at that utterance but Ginny patted his blue velvet arm quickly and his face became neutral. Moving away as quickly as possible Snape spotted a corner that looked particularly welcoming. He was almost in reach of it, the shadows of it practically beckoning to him when his voice was hollered by the voice most well-known to him.

"Severus! At last!"

Upon turning to face the voice of Albus Dumbledore, Snape found himself confronted with one of the most vivacious costumes he had ever seen. It was impressive how a man could fashion such a large robe entirely out of wool and hessian. On his arm was Minerva McGonagall who perhaps had the most tasteful and elegant garb of the evening so far. That is if he ignored the two large horns protruding from her head.

"So lovely to see you this evening, Severus." Minerva said in a warm tone as she patted Snape's arm with her free hand. "It's all coming off very well this evening don't you think?"

"Yes."

"An interesting choice of costume, Severus?" Albus observed and Snape froze and relinquishing Minerva's arm moved forward and fixed the askew headband more in place on Severus's head. "Tell me how long did it take you to decide upon… the headband?"

"It was a rather quick motion."

"Yes, I observed a rather similar object resting on the head of Professor Slughorn earlier."

"It was a gift, given in a moment of…." Snape was dying to say inebriated idiocy but he corrected himself. "Festive…. Friendship."

"Ah I thought it was the same… but then, where is your costume?"

"Forgive me Albus, I was obliged by your invitation to attend, a costume was a little too much of a favour, even from an old friend."

To anyone else this may have caused offence, to a man such as Albus who knew him well he received a chuckled and another hearty slap to the back.

"Glad that you prevailed upon yourself to come up!" Albus searched about his person and proceeded to take off the woollen cowl which he had about his shoulders. "Here, take this."

Once more Snape found himself dressed in Halloween garb against his will, now he wore a spider headband and a blue and green knitted shroud.

"If anyone should ask Severus what you have come as, do you know what you should answer?"

"A jumble sale?" Snape uttered discontentedly.

"No…" Albus laughed. "An enigma, as ever!"

Minerva chuckled at the joke with Albus, Snape forced a smile for the sake of not offending old friends.

"Enjoy your evening, Severus. Happy Halloween." Minerva and Albus said in unison. Snape was right; it had definitely been Albus earlier speaking through the embers. He watched the pair drift off arm in arm again; making a byway towards the Wonderland collection he had just left.

For a time Snape passed his time in the corner uninterrupted. He ventured out for a small glass of something when he felt the coast was clear. This was a close call however as Veronica having left her troupe was now wandering by herself eating a marshmallow ghost whilst crying 'It's James Bond!' over and over in utter delight. Snape looked to whom she was referring and saw Filch, dressed as per usual only wearing a white tuxedo jacket. Filch gave a nod of recognition to Snape as the latter moved to return to his corner.

He felt it safe at last to remove the headband, placing it instead on his upper arm so as not to cause offence or worse… someone replaced it with something much, much worse. So the hour wore on, the Weird Sisters sang, Veronica's outburst of delight could be heard occasionally over other chattering's and joy and laughter seemed all around. If nothing else, Snape at least appreciated that others were free to live their emotions and joys. He felt himself past such a privilege. It was very strange, the hour passed on the clock and he did not leave, remaining instead at the safety of his corner. Was he frightened to encounter someone else, or concerned of what he might miss out on? Could a small part of him be enjoying himself at last?

His own reveries wrapped him in an appeased cocoon and he was lost to them until a flash of red passed the corner of his eye and once more Veronica's outburst could be heard above everyone else.

"Oh my God!"

Snape's eyes moved towards the direction of the voice and he saw Veronica's wide eyes looking elsewhere. Following her gaze he saw the red again, it was the train of a gown. The smooth, cool material trailed gracefully along the floor and he followed its fabric until it met the cream skin of the woman that wore it. His eyes were fixed and he waited, at a call from someone near by the young woman turned her head. Snape stood transfixed as the hand of the woman raised, the crimson angel sleeve sweeping upwards and she waved towards the person who called her. He couldn't believe it, it was Hermione Granger.